Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Grilled Cheese(s)


So, for this post, I am not going to post a recipe. I am not going to give you step-by-step instructions. I am just going to comment on how I did a grilled cheese this time. This time? Yeah, 'cause grilled cheeses around my house change so often! 

This is, what I am calling, an "Inspiration Post." I always try to get your mind stirring a bit. To get those culinary juices flowing. Yes, we all have them - Culinary Juices. We just all have them on different levels. But, no matter how "juicy" you are, your juice is unique and you can do different things with your own juice. (Oh, I am kind of making myself laugh right now!)



We have grown up in different households. Some of us have grown up in different parts of the country, maybe even in different parts of the world. This plays a role in how our juices work. Sometimes this plays a role in how many juices we have, but I encourage you to use "what the Good Lord gave you" and work it. We all have different Grandmas that kneaded bread in their own way. The smells that wafted from your best friend's Grandma's house were not the same as what you remember from your Grandma's house. We all have different mamas that stirred the spaghetti sauce pot in her own fashion. Some mamas added mushrooms to her spaghetti. Some wouldn't have even thought about it. We all have diverse Papas that worked that grill differently than the Dad down the street. Some did chicken like a rock star. Others perfected that steak to a "T." Or, hell, change that all around and give a high five to the Mom that had the best beer-can-chicken on the block and the Father who slaved all day over that stove until the sauce was simmered thoroughly, just to his liking.

What I am getting at here is, use what you have and always expand on it. No matter if your culinary juices are constantly flowing or if it takes you a few days to prepare before the first drop drips, you make food your own. Just like your Grandma's bread, your mom's spaghetti and your Dad's grilled chicken. If you like something, do it. Make it. Cook it. Bake it. Eat it. 

What I provide here, is a place for you to get an idea. I don't think recipes should be followed to the exact 1/4 teaspoon. Unless you are baking, then yes, but I don't bake that much. Cooking is a different story. If you don't like oregano and I put it in my recipe, leave it out. If you think tomatoes are the missing link, go for it! I never used recipes. This has been sooooo hard for me to write this stuff down and measure it. Or to even remember to measure it for blogging purposes. I taste something and my tongue talks to me. Let your tongue do the talking in your house, too. TASTE your food AS YOU GO ALONG. Start out with very little seasoning and ingredients and then build on what your tongue tells you. And remember the salt, people. You will never reach full potential unless you use salt. I promise you.

So, here we are with the good ol' grilled cheese. Do you know how many infinite possibilities are out there for this food? No, it's not a food. It's a concept. What better "concept" to back up my ideas here, in this post, than with the grilled cheese. So many breads you can start with. So many butters to use. And then you can get into all the ingredients you can add to the butter! See my compound butter post HERE. So many cheeses. So many meats. So many veggies. I mean, for real. It's crazy what you can do with a grilled cheese. So, that is why I am just going to "show" you a few pics to stimulate the juices. If I can stimulate the juices, I am doing my job here. (Ok, there. I made myself giggle again.)

I will make a few comments here and there, so keep an eye out. Or a juice.

"No Woman" cheese? Are you kidding me? Score! 
Sometimes buying cheese is crazy. Unless you are in some gourmet, artisan cheese shop that has cases and cases of cheese who can give you nibble after nibble until you buy, or unless you are familiar with the cheese, you buy it "taste unseen." Kind of like when people think you're crazy because you bought that eBay car, "sight unseen," a lot of times, you have to buy cheese "taste unseen." But, "No Woman" cheese?...WHO could pass that up? I also thought this creamy, brie-like cheese would be a good addition. However, I knew that when I got home, if either tasted like they were not made for grilled cheese, I am a cheese-lover and they would definitely be gobbled up somehow. Even if it were just alone, on a cracker. So, I get home and immediately research my new find. Beecher's No Woman Cheese sounded like a definite triumph with Jamaican jerk seasonings added right in. 
That No Woman cheese was awesome!! The St. Andre was a little piquant. Good for me and my grilled cheese, but I knew my husband would not appreciate it on his. See? Do what tastes good to you. If you like it, do it. If not, you do not have to.

I chose a country wheat that day.
And I used my leftover COMPOUND BUTTER from my steak dinner to butter my bread! And, remember my BACON POST? Well, this was why I was baking bacon that day! I also shredded cheddar. I am a fan of some yellow cheese making it to my grilled cheese party.
So, I went ahead and did the cast iron grill pan. The other side is a flat griddle, which also would have worked with this, but since there are herbs in my butter, I just wanted a grill. I cooked my first side on medium-low to medium heat. You would want to do a sandwich this thick on a lower heat. This way, the middle has time to heat up before you burn the outside. Once the first side was done, I flipped it and then just added an old, HEAVY pan on top and pushed down on the pan. If you have a sandwich press, you rock. If not, like me, be creative!
What kind of grilled cheese do you like? Are you a straight-up American cheese, white bread Grilled Cheeser? Tomato or no tomato? Bacon? Ham and cheese? Grilled onions? Turkey and brie? Nutella and banana? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! The choices! The choices!!!


Yeah, I might have snuck a jalapeno in mine. ;) 

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